Midday Live News Report - March 27, 2007

An Adair County woman survives a terrifying ordeal at her home on March 26, 2007.

Kentucky State Police said two male subjects armed with handguns were burglarizing a residence of Kentucky 80 in Adair County when the resident came home.

Police said the two men took her into the home and tied her up at gunpoint. They demanded money from the woman and then completed the burglary. The case is being investigated State Police out of Columbia, Ky..

Kentucky Seminary Protest

The president of a Southern Baptist seminary in Kentucky continues to come under fire for his remarks on homosexuality.

Several members of a gay-rights group protested in Louisville against the Rev. R. Albert Mohler Jr. He's the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Mohler became a lightning rod for controversy earlier this month after he said in an article he believed a biological link to homosexuality may eventually be proven. He then suggested if that were the case, reversing homosexuality in the womb would be biblically justified.

New Cigarette Law

Only cigarettes that extinguish themselves when dropped or left unattended will be allowed to be sold in Kentucky under a new law.

That means conventional cigarettes would essentially be banned in one of the nation's top tobacco-producing states. It's a move that could help propel a national push for safer cigarettes.

Kentucky joins California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York, Utah, Vermont and New Hampshire in the effort to prevent fires ignited by cigarettes.

Allergy Season Blues

Spring has sprung and some parts of the country are already dealing with allergy season.

Forty million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies and more and more people are grabbing Kleenexes every year.

Doctor Sanjay Gupta has more.

The stuffy head, the runny nose, the itchy eyes, you just swell up. Spring is in the air, quite literally, and that means pollen winds up in our sinuses.

A scratchy throat, coughing a little bit, runny eyes, you know. Allergy experts say this could be a particularly rough year. The trend is with global warming and shorter winters that our allergy season is becoming longer.

So how do you know if its allergies or just a spring cold? A good rule of thumb is: Colds produce a runny nose that's yellowish, along with a low-grade fever. Allergies are usually colorless, there's no accompanying fever and you usually have itchy eyes, nose and throat.

If it is allergies, how do you treat them? Sorting out the various prescription and over the counter antihistamines, decongestants and nose sprays can be overwhelming. The best home remedy is using salt water spray. And just irrigating and cleaning out the nose. Prescription and over-the-counter medications can help relieve symptoms, but they're no cure.

Regardless of where you live, some people are simply predisposed to have bad allergies because of heredity. If you have one parent who suffers from allergies the chance of an offspring suffering from allergies is nearly 33 to 50 percent. If you have two parents that suffer from allergies it can be 50 to 65 percent. Of course living in a high pollen area can make your allergies worse.

White House Press Secretary Has Cancer Again

White House Press Secretary Tony Snow reveals he's once again battling cancer. A small growth in his pelvic area was removed on March 26, 2007. Doctors revealed it was cancerous and the cancer has spread to his liver.

Two years ago, Snow had his colon removed and underwent six months of chemotherapy after being diagnosed with colon cancer.

In an emotional briefing a spokesperson said Snow is going to beat cancer again.

Elizabeth Edwards Is Determined to Beat Cancer Again

Elizabeth Edwards has the same determination to beat the disease that's once again returned.

The wife of presidential hopeful John Edwards is speaking out about cancer. Drawing comparisons to seven-time Tour De France winner and cancer survivor, Lance Armstrong, Edwards told a crowd in Ohio "You can't stop when people are cheering for you all along the way."

Edwards entered the room to a standing ovation. It was her first solo trip since her husband announced he would stay in the presidential race despite the return of his wife's cancer.

Stent Research

Medical researchers have given us pause today about the use of stents in treating coronary disease.

The devices are used to open blocked blood vessels, but their usefulness is now being questioned.

ABC's Stephanie Sy explains.

The landmark study conducted by the American College of Cardiology found that artery-enlarging procedures such as angioplasty do not improve patients' chances of survival over the use of drugs alone.

For four years, 2,200 patients were studied at 50 hospitals in the United States and Canada. They found that operations to improve blood flow did not actually save more lives.

"This study will have major impact. Some patients don't need it," said Dr. Chris Cannon, Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

One-point-two million angioplasties are performed each year. In the procedure, a balloon is temporarily inserted in clogged arteries to improve blood flow and relieve chest pain. Often a tube-like stent is inserted to prevent the artery from collapsing.

The authors of the report said that drugs should be used first and only when that doesn't work should operations like angioplasty and heart bypass surgery be considered. The belief is that stents help blockages in one artery, but drugs help the entire body.

"This will lead to a decrease in stent use. An appropriate decrease," Cannon said.

The report is being criticized for only studying bare metal stents instead of the newer stents that are drug coated. Still its findings may convince doctors to be more diligent in the use stents on cardiac patients.

Since the operations cost nearly $40,000, the use of inexpensive drugs could save insurance companies and patients millions of dollars.

Crime Stoppers Breakfast

Every week we bring you Crime Stoppers Crime of the Week.

Today, Crime Stoppers held their annual breakfast to thank those who help them nab the thieves and retrieve stolen property.

"There's no limit where we can go with the help of the citizens of our community," said Bernie Cox, Crime Stoppers Chairman.

Today's breakfast was a chance for those solving the crimes and the victims to celebrate their victories and come up with ways to keep crime out of our community.

Local thieves stole almost $100,000 of property from Rick Ball while he was on vacation. He said Crime Stoppers helped him recover $45,000 of that, and that's why he stays involved with the organization.

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